From Ideation To Execution: How A Program Is Helping Residents And Businesses Be More Energy-Efficient

In the United States, buildings account for nearly 40% of total energy consumption. In Washington, D.C., residential and commercial buildings account for a far greater share of total energy consumption, upwards of 80%. This has a significant impact on not only electricity but also greenhouse gas emissions.

Regulatory programs like Building Energy Performance Standards, or BEPS, call for building owners to meet a minimum threshold of energy performance within their buildings or face significant penalties.

“Organizations like the DC Sustainable Energy Utility, or DCSEU, are providing energy efficiency, renewable energy and decarbonization programs for D.C. residents and businesses and offering guidance on how to best comply with BEPS and offset the costs of sustainable building improvements,” DCSEU Director of Technology and Innovation Patti Boyd said. 

“We have played a pivotal role in helping thousands of District businesses and residents save millions on energy costs through accessing clean energy technologies while reducing their environmental impact," she said. 

Boyd said the organization started as an idea between the mayor and the city council to help ratepayers access energy efficiency savings in D.C. The Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008 designated the DCSEU as the prime resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy services for local residents and businesses.

The DCSEU is led by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, a nonprofit focused on sustainable energy solutions. The organization is working not only to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint but also to lower utility costs. 

To accomplish this, DCSEU Director of Account Management and Workforce Development Crystal McDonald added the organization has a team that offers guidance and technical support to building owners and design teams. It also provides clients with rebates and incentives for reducing their energy use and cutting emissions for their properties.

“Our team of experts is here to help building owners and operators find cost-effective solutions for their businesses using standard rebates or incentives based on custom energy savings calculations with a cash flow analysis to help with strategic stakeholder engagement,” she said. 

Boyd said that while the initial goal of DCSEU was to reduce per capita energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, it has expanded into non-energy emissions reduction efforts, such as refrigerant management, as well. 

“Refrigerants have such high global warming potential, we're working on a program where we get our contractors that are electrifying homes and businesses to recover the old refrigerant, reclaim it properly and get a rebate,” she said. 

For the past several years, the DCSEU has also hosted roundtable discussions with the Building Innovation Hub, alongside the Department of Energy and Environment and DC Green Bank for different building types including universities, hotels and affordable housing. 

“Our roundtables have been a big help to not only connect with industry leaders who’ve faced similar challenges, but to offer resources to help them comply with BEPS requirements and gain financing for building improvements,” McDonald said.

The DCSEU also helps building owners and operators identify opportunities, find solutions and analyze their projects and potential energy savings. It provides a deeper look into equipment selection, designs and commissioning claims to help owners offset some of the costs. 

“We can perform walkthroughs at customer sites and follow up with relevant recommendations that the customer should consider in order to improve the energy efficiency at their site,” McDonald said. “This allows us to develop saving estimates and create opportunity-appropriate incentive amounts to offset the incremental cost of adding the more efficient equipment.”

The organization’s commercial energy audit assistance program, helps building owners save up to $15K on an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, Level Two audit for buildings over 50K SF, which can identify how buildings expend energy and provide valuable feedback into how owners can improve their usage. 

The Affordable Housing Retrofit Accelerator, created by the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018 and also run by DCSEU, assists income-qualified buildings over 50K SF that do not yet meet BEPS but are on the pathway toward compliance. 

While the DCSEU provides incentives and rebates to its clients, McDonald said, “education is also a top priority” for the organization as well. 

“Many of our customers have taken advantage of our Train Green Program, where we educate and upskill our current contractor community, along with other D.C. residents, to perform the work in the green building space here in the District,” she said. “We’ve received positive feedback for both our incentives and training opportunities.”

McDonald is looking forward to the future of D.C.’s energy industry. She said that DCSEU will continue to work with the local community to help mold careers in the energy field for its D.C. residents. 

“We run an impactful workforce development program, and we want to introduce locals to green careers,” she said. “We’re partnering with mentors, local organizations and contractors to create a four-month job training program to help with soft skills and technical skills development so that they can land full-time employment.” 

This article was produced in collaboration between DC Sustainability Energy Utility and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

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